Volume Three: Academy in Total Rampage - Peach-Colored Ambush (I)

A Girl's Memories - Part Two

What is school life like for children outside the school?

Xiao Wu doesn't know.

Because I didn't know, I felt somewhat uneasy.

But within this unease, there is indeed a sense of anticipation.

On her first day of school, Xiao Wu looked at herself in the mirror, dressed in a maroon school uniform, and felt incredibly awkward. When she lived with her mother, she always wore a tight-fitting martial arts uniform, and more often than not, she was naked—because even if she wore clothes, they would soon fall apart. Because of this, the light, flowing skirt and the beautifully meaningless ribbons only made Xiao Wu feel more irritable.

"Got it? Always wear a smile. If you don't understand what your classmates are saying, just smile and say, 'I don't know either.' When something happens, stay calm and don't act impulsively. And... whatever you do, don't reveal your last name!"

Auntie Lucy, who claimed to be an old acquaintance of her mother, gave her repeated instructions, but she just responded with "uh-huh" to get through it. Having grown up in hellish training since childhood, Xiao Wu is neither gentle to others nor good at appreciating the gentleness others show her.

Walking along the long way to school, the girl grew increasingly impatient with the backpack full of useless books on her back. Her shiny little leather shoes were completely unsuitable for fast movement; what if she were suddenly attacked?

Moreover... from the moment she stepped onto the street, the girl felt like she was being pricked by needles. It was the first time in her life she had seen so many humans, and what was worse—everyone seemed to be staring at her.

Wow... look at that child...

"Is she a middle school student? Judging from the color of the ribbon, she must be in the first year of middle school. She's so pretty!"

"I feel like I want to hug and squeeze it... but its eyes are scary."

These cryptic words kept reaching her overly sensitive ears, intensifying her unease. What did these people mean? Why were they all staring at her? Were they enemies? Even after leaving the monster-infested forest, was it still necessary to constantly conceal her presence?

Finally arriving at the so-called "teaching building," she was warmly greeted by a creature called the "homeroom teacher." Although Xiao Wu had no prior experience interacting with a large number of humans, her keen ability to read the minds of her "opponents" immediately made her realize that the smile on the homeroom teacher's face was clearly feigned.

Stepping into the "classroom," a place where children her age were gathered together to be taught knowledge they might never use in the future, she saw dozens of faces full of curiosity and excitement—but not entirely. Several girls who looked glamorous had obvious hostility on their faces, yet they expressed it very unnaturally. It wasn't until later that the girl realized that those expressions were what was called "jealousy."

"Xiao Wu," the girl wrote in large characters on the blackboard. Of all the instructions her aunt had given her, only "never reveal your surname" was something she followed. As for things like "always keep a smile on your face," she had long forgotten about them. She kept a straight face the whole time and didn't do any further self-introduction.

"Ah, is that all? Well then Xiao Wu- san, please sit down—"

"..."

Before the homeroom teacher could finish speaking, she walked to the empty seat in the middle of the back row, completely ignoring the teacher.

"Hey... she didn't even let Ms. Lina finish speaking..."

Don't you think that's a bit rude?

"She's arrogant because she's pretty."

Whispers arose from the students around her, and Xiao Wu, completely oblivious to social niceties, was utterly bewildered—was it impolite? There was no need to listen to the homeroom teacher assign seats; there was only one empty seat in the entire classroom, so where else could she sit? And was it even necessary to listen to the homeroom teacher finish speaking? That would only be a waste of time.

get out of class ended quickly, and the girl finally lifted her head from her arms.

That's right— Xiao Wu slept the entire class.

It wasn't because she hated studying, but because after flipping through the textbooks, she concluded that "listening to this knowledge, which I won't need later, would only be a waste of energy; I'd better conserve my energy first," and then she went to sleep.

However, the teacher didn't come down to intervene throughout the entire process; rather, it's more accurate to say that the teacher neither dared nor wanted to. The girl was unaware of this, but the other students witnessed it all, and many whispered and pointed at her.

And so, trouble came knocking.

"Hey, the new guy, his name is Xiao Wu, right?"

"... Hmm? Who are you?"

Seeing Xiao Wu's slightly puzzled look, the well-dressed classmates in front of them exchanged glances and revealed contemptuous smiles.

"Oh dear, our newborn little Princess seems to know nothing yet."

"Don't know? Don't know what?"

Stop pretending!

A girl with tanned skin kicked the corner of her desk hard, causing her water cup to fall off, the cap to pop off, and water to spill all over the floor. The other students pretended to look away, not daring to interfere.

"... You knocked my water glass away."

"Huh? A water cup? Compared to that, don't you think you're being way too arrogant, newbie?"

"Exactly, exactly, does she think she's very pretty and cute?"

Do you know who the class leader is?

"Why aren't you paying your respects yet?"

"You'd better watch your attitude from now on!"

The girls started yelling and cursing at Xiao Wu, occasionally poking her face with their sharp-nailed fingers and pulling her hair.

"Completely meaningless behavior," Xiao Wu judged. "This kind of attack can't even be called an attack; it doesn't even count as diverting someone's attention, and it doesn't cause any harm."

Or is this... the legendary school bullying?

"Can I take your actions as hostile towards me?"

"Huh? Wait, no way! This guy only realized it now!"

"Idiot?"

Hahahahahaha!!!!!

The girls burst into loud, ear-piercing laughter. At that moment, a girl who had been standing at the back but wore the most extravagant jewelry stepped forward.

"Okay, everyone, stop yelling."

"Ah, eldest sister..."

"Excuse me, Xiao Wu, my friends were a bit too rude. How about we become friends? With me protecting you, you won't have to worry about anything anymore."

As she spoke, she extended her hand to Xiao Wu with a bright smile.

"..."

Xiao Wu was speechless.

"What is this guy doing?" she thought to herself.

It was clearly her who sent those annoying girls to harass him, but now she's acting all friendly. What's going on? Is this guy an idiot?

So, Xiao Wu directly revealed her true thoughts—

"... Are you an idiot?"

"Varied--!?"

The girl's expression suddenly became quite interesting. She glared at herself angrily, her face flushed red with rage, while her followers looked on in shock.

"You—what are you so arrogant about! I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

The girl suddenly reached out towards Xiao Wu's hair, seemingly trying to grab it, but she didn't even touch a single strand of Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu's iron-like hands gripped her arm tightly.

"You... let go!"

Ignoring the girl's struggles completely, Xiao Wu said:

"What? So they're just here to cause trouble again? Honestly, why all the beating around the bush..."

Creak, creak, creak—the girl's arms creaked as her hands tightened.

"Since you're looking for trouble, there's no reason not to respond. Fine, I accept your challenge."

Judging from her appearance, she must be the leader of this class.

In that case, their childish provocative behavior could be explained by the idea that "animals are defending their territory and excluding intruders."

Besides, since he's the boss, he must be very strong.

Therefore, there's no need to hold back.

Xiao Wu, unaware of the vast difference in strength between herself and the children outside, indeed held nothing back.

"Form 52-- "

"Wait, wait! What are you going to do—"

"Collapse!" Then,

The sound of flesh and blood exploding echoed throughout the classroom.

The arm of the girl who was picking a fight was completely smashed into pieces.

"Tsk... It's been so long, why aren't they here yet?"

Xiao Wu paced back and forth, scratching her hair in frustration.

No matter how much Si Nan Xiao dawdled, she couldn't possibly be this late. Could something have really happened to her?

"Looks like there's no other way. Let's go, let's split up and search!"

"Sure... but who will watch the house?"

"This..."

Someone has to stay in the clubroom to watch over the children, so only two of us can go out to search. Neither Saki, Xiao Wu, nor Kogetsu have any special abilities or tools that we can use for searching.

Not to mention the entire Central United Academy, just Mikael Girls' Academy and Changting Liberal Arts College alone would be enough for us to find.

"Alright then, Liu Ye, you're probably the least skilled at scouting, so you can stay and watch the house. I'm very familiar with this area. As for that Qipao Woman over there... although I don't particularly like you, you seem quite intelligent. Come out with me."

Hey, is this a veiled way of saying I'm stupid?

"That's an unpleasant way to put it, but the situation is urgent, so I'll reluctantly go with you... I can't stand it."

"You two, try to get along well."

""Impossible!""

"La~~Hmph la la la~~~"

Haoyue, bathed in orange moonlight, sped along the street.

It's already evening, and an hour has passed since Xiao went missing.

"Sigh... I can't take advantage of the delinquent girl's absence to be all lovey-dovey with Xiao Ye..."

She complained as she sped along, but in the end, it was still her and Xiao Wu who came out to look for the person. Of course, they had to search separately, otherwise she couldn't stand it.

"There's simply no way to start looking, and besides, it's getting darker and darker..."

Even though more than a dozen Moon Elf have been released, the search efficiency has not improved, because although the Moon Elf can act as her eyes, their range is unfortunately limited.

"Let's just go back... Is Si Nan Xiao really that important...?"

That being said, if I go easy on him, Xiao Ye will definitely be angry, so I have to work harder.

"Hmm... if Xiao Ye is in the mood, it wouldn't be bad to drag Si Nan Xiao along for a threesome... but where is she anyway...?"

You seem troubled.

"Of course—it's you!!!"

A blade of light flew past, but passed right through the girl's body without causing any harm.

"Oh dear, Miss Tartaglia, how unfriendly! I'd love to be your friend too."

The person looking at her with a serene smile was none other than Givinia Sorel, whom she had met once before.

"Let me make this clear, I know you're not the father of this child!"

"Still struggling with that... Although you're a strategist with deep foresight, you're strangely eccentric in some ways."

Givinia rolled her eyes, a rare occurrence for her.

"Speak quickly, I'm in a hurry," Haoyue said impatiently.

"Don't rush, it's just about finding that purple-haired otaku girl, right? Leave it to me!"

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A new dungeon is open! MTs, DPS, healers, get to work!

Xiao Wu: I'm going to solo this!